User Reviews

Overall Rating:

Value Rating:

Submitted by
Chris Huneke
a AudioPhile

Date Reviewed: May 14, 2013

Bottom Line:

The finest sounding speaker from Magnepan yet, and one of the finest speakers in the world. I replaced my older 3 series with the new 3.7. A beautifully coherent speaker vs. the former, which truth be told - I became quite fond of over the years. What led me to finally purchasing the 3.7's? Needing replacement Ribbons - then came the audition from Audible Elegance, and then came the wife's evil eye. But 'tis all good.

Rather than reiterate what other reviews have stated here - let me offer a different perspective. First, the ribbon tweeter no longer stands out, as it did in previous models. There must have been some attenuation in the new design from what my ears are hearing. Could be just that simple, or something radical in the new design. Don't misread the comments - the high end is still completely there, but integrated with a sonic result that is smooth as silk. Despite what others have said about the low end - believe me...the low end slam is "there" with the 3.7. I still use a Paradigm Seismic 12 which integrates musically with the Maggies, but only need 38Hz and down with the Paradigm. Actually, the bass response with the 3.7 was the most surprising element for me personally. The mid bass is outstanding, and plenty of low end before integrating the sub. (60-70 hours burn-in really helped in the 45-50Hz range).

Something else that needs to be noted here - efficiency of these speakers. I drive the 3.7's with a Mac 352, and online reviews claim a slight increase in efficiency, but for me the return is more than slight (probably due to better mid-range & mid-bass response). The 3.3R's simply lacked both w/o higher output. Not so with the 3.7. You can now listen to music at low volume levels and still enjoy wonderful mid's & mid-bass.

I've yet to hear a speaker deliver the female voice better than the 3.7 in it's price range. Symphonic music is better than ever, piano takes on a completely 3-D sound that I need to further listen & evaluate. I was most impressed with the debut Fourplay album. Bali Run on the 3.7's before sub is jaw dropping. Unbelievable. For those that state the bass isn't "there" - you need to run this album through the 3.7's. Parts of Eagles' Hell Freezes Over even impressed me at times - although for a live album - the Paradigm sub really brings everything together.

For those on the fence with looking at a Magnepan speaker - let me say I was completely used to extremely dynamic speakers (loved punch, quickness, box, slam, you name it). But I also found it difficult to listen for extended periods of time. While a Magnepan is not the most dynamic speaker, it certain ranks up there as one of the most musical speakers you can find. And as my ears have aged, so has my desire to simply "hear the music" and hear it in it's purest form. For my hard earned money - I own a speaker than rivals makes & models 3-4 times their cost. The return on investment here is not one that should be allowed to pass you by.

I have been listening to Maggies since 1976 and purchased my first pair, the Tympani Is, in 1978. Since then I have owned a pair of 3.3s and purchased the 3.7s within the last year.

I'm not one who buys into the hyperbole often proclaimed in audio reviews where product "A" "blows away" product "B" or other such nonsense. Moving from the 3.3s to the 3.7s did make sonic sense as the newer model is much more coherent and balanced than the older one. The ribbons are , obviously, about the same but the bass is improved and noticeably tighter than in the 3.3. Possibly the biggest improvement was in the midrange which is much more coherent now and a very nice link between the extremely fast ribbons and the taut bass panels.

I will say it takes a while for the speakers to be broken in. I was told to expect change by 200 hours and they were better but now that I have just crossed the 300 hour plateau, bigger things are happening. They are getting better all the time and the bloom, soundstaging, airiness, etc. are really coming into their own. I am hearing things on recordings that I never heard before. Some older recordings have a pace and inner detail I didn't know was there.

These are some really wonderful speakers and getting better each day. The three dimensionality, clarity and musicality is pretty amazing. And, of course, Maggies just do certain things naturally because of their design. They offer dipolar radiation and don't have to contend with cabinet resonance that other more costly speakers do. They do require a fair amount of power to really grab and control them, but that is a given with most planar speakers and it it is hard to imagine any audiophile complaining about that. I use an Audio Research VT200 and they interface with the 3.7s in a very musical way.

The comments about "no bas" I believe is unfair. Yes, they will not knock you through a wall like some bass reflex speakers but the bass that is available is tight, quick and solid. I would imaging one's musical tastes (genre) would dictate whether that is a problem or not. I listen to a lot of mainstream jazz and acoustic music so the bass, for me, is both acceptable and realistic. Probably not so much for headbangers or rappers.